[Paisleychick-lj] Benefits of Cats

[Beatrice M's blog]

[![][1]][2]   
[What's that black thing in our face?][3]   
Originally uploaded by [Beatrice M][4]. 

We are not going to adopt these adorable kittens as they have already been given away, but I thought they were seriously cute! We did go to a shelter in Monserrat and take a look at some adorable kittens last week. We're going back again to spend more time there. I'll post more updates when we know which kittens we are getting. I'm looking forward to getting kittens. We're hoping for two sisters.  
  
I read [this interesting article][5] from the Minnesota Daily. It is known (but not proven) that animals provide certain health benefits - good for de-stressing, getting exercise, etc. But, it seems that cats provide more of a health benefit than dogs (lower heart disease risk). The researchers are puzzled as to why that could be. I wonder if there is any way that [toxoplasmosis][6] could have anything to do with that? I didn't see any statistics about how many cat owners have toxoplasmosis, just percentage of the US population. That would be an interesting statistic to run against people not getting so sick from heart disease....  
  
**Wikipedia says:**

> Up to one third of the world's population is estimated to carry a Toxoplasma infection.[3] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that overall seroprevalence in the United States as determined with specimens collected by the third National Health and Nutritional Assessment Survey (NHANES III) between 1988 and 1994 was found to be 22.5%, with seroprevalence among women of childbearing age (15 to 44 years) of 15%.[4]  
  
During the first few weeks, the infection typically causes a mild flu-like illness or no illness. After the first few weeks of infection have passed, the parasite rarely causes any symptoms in otherwise healthy adults. However, people with a weakened immune system, such as those infected with HIV, and fetuses, may become seriously ill, and it can occasionally be fatal. The parasite can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and neurologic diseases and can affect the heart, liver, and eyes (chorioretinitis).

  
**The article states:**

> University researchers have found a correlation between cat ownership and a decreased risk of deadly heart conditions.  
  
The study, conducted by Adnan Qureshi, executive director of the Minnesota Stroke Institute at the University, found that people who own cats had about a 40 percent lower risk of dying of a cardiovascular condition than those who don't own cats.  
  
"There's been a suspicion that pet ownership may have health benefits, but we haven't really documented that," Qureshi said.   
...  
Qureshi, who owns a cat named Marco, said the results of this study could have implications for the future.  
  
"We found an interesting relationship, and more interesting is the potential implications as a form of intervention that can be provided to a large community with minimal costs and minimal risks," he said.  
  
For Rence, owning a cat is a fun activity, health benefits included or not.  
  
"It puts you in a good mood even if you're having a pretty bad day," she said. "I imagine that has a lot to do with health and everything." 

   [1]: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2384/2186246606_782bcbe570_m.jpg
   [2]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2186246606/ (photo sharing)
   [3]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2186246606/
   [4]: http://www.flickr.com/people/blmurch/
   [5]: http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/02/26/72165798
   [6]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

URL: http://paisleychick.livejournal.com/334595.html